FAITH MATURITY SCALE

Abstract

The Faith Maturity Scale (FMS) is a psychometric instrument developed by researchers at the Search Institute of Minneapolis as part of The National Study of Protestant Congregations (NSPC). Initiated around 1990, the NSPC aimed to assess personal faith, denominational loyalty, and their determinants across various Protestant traditions. The FMS specifically measures the extent to which an individual embodies the priorities, commitments, and perspectives characteristic of vibrant, life-transforming faith, focusing on values and behavioral indicators rather than mere assent to religious beliefs.

The development of the FMS utilized a criterion-based approach guided by eight core considerations, including the recognition that faith maturity occurs along a continuum, involves multiple dimensions (vertical relationship with God and horizontal relationship with others), and should minimize denominational specificity. The resulting instrument is a 38-item, 7-point Likert scale, designed for use with both adolescents and adults, yielding a single, global faith-maturity score ranging from 1 to 7.

Keywords

Faith Maturity Scale, FMS, Religious Commitment, Protestantism, Spiritual Development, Intrinsic Religiousness, Psychological Assessment of Faith, Vertical Faith, Horizontal Faith

Authors

Peter L. Benson, Michael J. Donahue, Jacqueline A. Erickson, Charlene E. Eklin

Purpose

The primary purpose of the Faith Maturity Scale (FMS) is to quantify the degree to which an individual demonstrates a mature and transformative faith, defined specifically within the context of mainline Protestant traditions. This measurement intentionally shifts focus from intellectual assent to specific doctrines (tenets) toward the practical manifestation of faith through values, priorities, and observable behaviors.

The scale serves as a valuable tool for research and congregational assessment, providing a metric for the “vibrant and life transforming faith” that is applicable across diverse Protestant denominations, minimizing economic, educational, and racial-ethnic specificity, and avoiding the presumption of institutional attachment or involvement.

Construct

The FMS operationalizes faith maturity as a multi-dimensional construct comprising both vertical and horizontal elements. Vertical faith refers to an individual’s personal relationship with God, encompassing aspects like prayer, spiritual seeking, and a sense of divine guidance. Horizontal faith involves the behavioral manifestations of faith in relation to others and the world, including social justice engagement, compassion, environmental stewardship, and interpersonal acceptance.

Scale development was guided by the premise that there are multiple core dimensions of faith maturity, ensuring that the instrument captured a comprehensive view of spiritual development along a continuum. The construct is rooted in the belief that mature faith is inherently actionable and permeates daily thought and behavior, providing a source of meaning and purpose.

Validity

The authors provided extensive evidence supporting the face, content, and construct validity of the Faith Maturity Scale. Because the FMS was developed using a criterion-based approach involving panels of seminary scholars, denominational experts, and clergy, face validity was deemed apparent, particularly within the represented Protestant denominations.

Content validity was supported by the systematic, three-stage development process, where items were generated directly from indicators corresponding to the eight core dimensions postulated by the expert panels. Construct validity was assessed using several rigorous techniques, including known-groups comparisons, expert raters, age comparisons, and correlation with established psychological measures. Results consistently confirmed theoretical predictions: pastors (a known group expected to score high) achieved the highest scores; faith maturity scores increased linearly with age; and the FMS demonstrated a significant positive correlation with intrinsic religiousness while showing no relationship with extrinsic religiousness. This strong validation evidence makes the FMS highly suitable for research applications.

Reliability

The internal consistency reliability of the Faith Maturity Scale was assessed using the Cronbach Coefficient Alpha. Reliability coefficients were reported across various demographic categories, including age, gender, denomination, and respondent category (e.g., adults, pastors, Christian Education coordinators).

The reported Alpha coefficients consistently demonstrated high reliability for the measure across all tested groups. The coefficients ranged from a low of 0.84 (reported for females over 69 years of age) to a high of 0.90 (reported for males aged 60–69 years). These results confirm that the FMS possesses strong internal consistency and is a reliable measure of the faith maturity construct.

Factor Analysis

While the initial scale development was guided by the hypothesis of multiple core dimensions (eight, according to the authors), the primary scoring mechanism yields a single, global faith-maturity score. This suggests that, despite the multi-dimensional nature of the construct, the FMS is typically treated as a unidimensional measure in practice.

The researchers discussed the possibility of alternate scoring based on subscales or a four-fold typology, as well as the creation of two shorter versions. However, the authors explicitly stated that further research was necessary before these alternate scoring methods or shortened versions could possess the same established reliability and validity as the original 38-item measure and its global scoring criteria.

Instrument

Test Type: Paper-and-pencil measure; Self-report psychological scale

Format: 38 items utilizing a 7-point Likert scale response format. Five items (13%) are reverse-scored (indicated by R).

Language Available: English (Primary development language)

Population Group: Individuals affiliated with mainline Protestant traditions, though subsequent research has expanded its use to other Christian traditions (Catholic, Episcopal, Seventh-Day Adventist).

Age Group: Adolescents and Adults

Population Details: The initial standardization sample included 11,000 adolescents and adults drawn from a nationally representative sample of 150 congregations across six Protestant denominations: Christian Church, Disciples of Christ (CC); Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA); Presbyterian Church, U.S.A. (PCUSA); United Church of Christ (UCC); United Methodist Church (UMC); and Southern Baptist Convention (SBC). Norms were provided for adults, adolescents, pastors, Christian Education teachers, and Christian Education coordinators.

Test Methodology: The global score is derived by calculating the mean of the 38 items. Administration and scoring are straightforward, requiring no specialized skills.

Keywords

Psychometrics, Religious Experience, Spirituality, Internal Consistency, Search Institute, NSPC, Behavior Indicators of Faith, Intrinsic religiousness, Longitudinal Study

Authors

Author ORCID Identifier: Not specified in source material.

Affiliation Email addresses: Affiliated with the Search Institute, Minneapolis, MN (at the time of publication).

Correspondence Address: Not specified in source material.

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

Permissions and usage fees typically fall under the purview of the Search Institute, which developed the scale. Specific fee information is not provided in the primary documentation. The scale was developed and validated based on research conducted between 1990 and 1993.

Reference’s

Benson, P. L., Donahue, M. J., & Erickson, J. A. (1993). The Faith Maturity Scale: Conceptualization, measurement, and empirical validation. In M. L. Lynn & D. 0. Moberg (Eds.), Research in the social scientific study of religion (Vol. 5, pp. 1-26). Greenwich: JAi Press.

Benson, P. L. & Donahue, M. J. (1990). Value-genesis: Report 1. A study of the influence of family, church, and school on the faith, values and commitment of Adventist youth. Paper presented to the General Conference, North American Division, Seventh-day Adventist Church, Silver Spring, MD.

Benson, P. L. & Eklin, C. E. (1990). Effective Christian education: A national study of Protestant congregations: A summary report on faith, loyalty, and congregation life. Unpublished manuscript, Search Institute, Minneapolis, MN.

Items of the FAITH MATURITY SCALE

IMPORTANT: The following scale items must be preserved in their original language and must not be changed in any way.

Mark one answer for each. Be as honest as possible, describing how true it really is and now how true you would like it to be.

Choose from these responses:

• 1 = never true
• 2 = rarely true
• 3 = true once in a while
• 4 = sometimes true
• 5 = often true
• 6 = almost always true 7 = always true

1. I am concerned that our country is not doing enough to help the poor
2. I know that Jesus Christ is the Son of God who .. died on a cross and rose again
3. My faith shapes how I think and act each and every day
4. I help others with their religious questions and struggles
5. I tend to be critical of other people (R) .
6. In my free time, I help people who have problems or needs
7. My faith helps me know right from wrong .
8. I do things to help protect the environment .
9. I devote time to reading and studying the Bible .
10. I have a hard time accepting myself (R) in the world
11. I take excellent care of my physical health
12. I am active in efforts to promote social justice
13. I seek out opportunities to help me grow spiritually
14. I take time for periods of prayer or meditation .
15. I am active in efforts to promote world peace
16. I accept people whose religious beliefs are different from mine
17. I feel a deep sense of responsibility for reducing .. pain and suffering in the world
18. As I grow older, my understanding of God changes
19. I feel overwhelmed by all the responsibilities and obligations I have
20. I give significant portions of my time and money to help other people
21. I speak out for equality for women and minorities
22. I feel God’s presence in my relationships with other people
23. Every day I see evidence that God is active .
24. My life is filled with meaning and purpose .
25. I do not understand how a loving God can allow so much pain and suffering in the world (R)
26. I believe that I must obey God’s rules and commandments in order to be saved (R)
27. I am confident that I can overcome any problem or crisis no matter how serious
28. I care a great deal about reducing poverty in the United States and throughout the world
29. I try to apply my faith to political and social issues is committed to Jesus Christ .
30. My life is committed to Jesus Christ.
31. I talk with other people about my faith .
32. My life is filled with stress and anxiety .
33. I go out of my way to show love to people I meet
34. I have a real sense that God is guiding me .
35. I do not want the churches of this nation getting involved in political issues (R)
36. I like to worship and pray with others .
37. I think Christians must be about the business of creating international understanding  and hannony
38. I am spiritually moved by the beauty of God’s … creation enough to help the poor